


the wrong side of reality

by v1ewmonster



Series: Home Sweet Home [4]
Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Canon-Typical Violence, Confusion, Gen, Hallucinations, Stream of Consciousness, for the most part anyway, this is a tanetane island fic so you know what that means
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 08:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22353310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v1ewmonster/pseuds/v1ewmonster
Summary: And I don't wanna drink the venom they made me / And I don't wanna be controlled by the past
Series: Home Sweet Home [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1445653
Kudos: 12





	the wrong side of reality

**Author's Note:**

> and we're back with this au again! i've finished all the installments a few months ago, but i just keep. forgetting to publish them, sorry about that^^ this takes place in tanetane island, so you should know what to expect from here.

“They look kinda odd-lookin’,” Kumatora said, looking at Lucas, “Are you sure we can eat them?”

She was right, the mushrooms that stood in front of them _did_ look odd. They were neon pink, and if Ness knew anything about mushrooms, he _knew_ that they indicated bad news. 

But then Lucas and Duster started picking up one of the mushrooms. It made sense, because if they had gone any further, they would faint in a millisecond, and did they _really_ want that? Knowing that, Ness consumed the odd-colored mushroom, hoping to _God_ , if there was one, that something didn’t end up happening to them.

Unfortunately, that was the case. And he felt quite dandy afterwards. 

When Ness opened his eyes, the world became coated in neon. Neon pink, to be precise. Ness darted his eyes around the area, noticing that Lucas and his friends were nowhere to be seen. He screamed their names, having a sliver of hope that someone would walk up to him or answer his call.

But nobody stepped up to the plate.

Ness began to hyperventilate, hands wrapped around his neck. He wanted to calm down, but his body refused to let him. He decided that waiting around searching for a silver lining wasn’t going to work, and instead began looking for them.

He couldn’t understand why the island looked the way it did. Hell, he didn’t even know if it looked this way before. 

He walked further and further, with no sight of… whoever he was looking for. Who was he looking for again? Was he even looking for _anyone_? He was starting to desire giving up at this point, but he knew he couldn’t do that. 

Suddenly, Ness heard a voice. A familiar one, at that. But he knew it wasn’t anyone he knew, at least from what he heard. He turned around, now seeing who the voice belonged to. 

“Y- you guys!” Ness exclaimed relievingly at the sight of Jeff, Paula, and Poo in front of him. He wanted to pull all of them into a hug, knowing that they’re here. “What are you doin’ he-” 

“Why did you abandon us?” Jeff asked. He didn’t sound like himself at all. 

Ness scowled, treading a step backward. “What are you talkin’ about…?” 

“You’re not a very good leader,” Poo said. 

“What…?” 

“What makes you think I’d ever lov-” 

Before Paula could finish her sentence, Ness ran faster than he ever did before. He couldn’t help but feel… confused at the set of events. He needed to _get out_ of here. But first, he had to find [ _REDACTED]_ and everyone else. 

He ran into another figure, and as he got his wits about him, he realized the person in front of him was his mom. What was _she_ doing here? In fact, what was everyone else doing here? He was becoming disoriented at all the thoughts making way towards his brain.

“Oh, Ness!” His mother shouted. “You must be tired after all the hard work you’ve done!” She paused, a plate of steak now in her hands. But the steak didn’t look normal, as it seemed as if it were undercooked, with pink mushrooms beginning to grow onto it.

“ _No_!” Ness shrieked. He did his best to back away, but his sister Tracy appeared at the corner of his eye. She said nothing as her glare pierced his soul, and he could do nothing but run away from the duo. 

Tears ran down his face without warning, prompting him to hurtle to the ground, crouching over the dirt floor. Nobody could hear his sobs, his pleas for help, to find a way out of this place. He continued to hiccup as his body shook like a leaf, with no sign of stopping. 

He missed his mom, wondering what caused her to be this way. He couldn’t help but yearn for Paula as well as Jeff and Poo, despite what they truly thought of him. He didn’t want their relationship to end on a stalemate, not like this.

He felt as if he could hardly breathe, continuing to hiccup as the tears fell to the floor. But he knew crying wasn’t going to help him in a situation like this, so he got up to the best of his ability, shaking the stray tears away, but he couldn’t help but continue to feel remorse.

He was aware that he couldn't run away for long, but what else was he supposed to do? It was his only option at this point, aside from remembering who he was looking for, but that was a distant pipedream. 

When he quickened his pace, a milky white figure glazed his field of vision. He squinted, trying to recall the mysterious figure. He noticed its red eyes staring directly at him, and he did nothing to hide himself. Instead, he slunk up towards the figure, but it ended up dissipating. He sadly had no idea who it was, but he wished that he could get more information on it before he watched it fade away from sight. 

He continued to walk, desperately trying to find an exit. Would he _ever_ go back to normal? From the looks of it, it didn’t seem so. 

He couldn’t tell how long or far he had been walking for, but it felt like an eternity. It was particularly stressful, especially considering all the things he had seen on Tanetane Island so far, from seeing Everdred on his last legs again or that woman he followed at the hotel in Threed. He hated having to fight them after, especially after they faded into nothingness, regardless if they were a friend or an enemy. He just wanted the disoriented feeling to _go away_ . At this point, he didn’t know if what he was seeing was real or fake. He felt tired, sick to his stomach about taking another step in this _hellhole_. He only wanted to _leave_. 

Multiple casualties lined themselves on the ground, with Ness feeling more terrible than he ever had before when on his adventure. Nevertheless, he did his best to move forward. 

After he fought what was once Everdred, he noticed a familiar face in front of him.

“Porky?” He mouthed, and he watched as his suspicion was correct. 

Porky smiled, a grin so wide you could see every single tooth. “ _Wow,_ you expect me to greet you with open arms? Don’t you understand that the Porky you know has changed?”

Ness was pushed down, crushed under the weight of his former friend’s glare. And suddenly, everything clicked inside his mind. What he was experiencing, from his mother acting the way she did to his _best friends_ chastising him… it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. Everything felt _surreal_ to him, even now.

“I… I know…” He said, then added, “Oh, who am I kidding, trying to convince you like this? You’re only a hallucination anyway.” He’d save his breath for the _real_ Porky. 

“And what makes you think I’d want to be saved?”

Ness’s chin was cupped in the hallucination’s hand, and he didn’t want to look at it any longer. So he took out his bat, swiftly swinging at the hallucination until it refused to take the form of Porky. He then proceeded to kill it and move forward. 

He had _enough_.

He could hardly see where he was going. Despite going upwards, he didn’t think he was progressing anytime soon. Or at least it seemed so, because after that he felt his limbs turn to noodles as he continued walking. 

He had come across multiple mailboxes while traversing the island. He was fearful to look through them, as who knew what was inside of them? But he looked through one of them anyway, his worst fears coming true. 

_The boy named Ness is messing with time travel._

_The boy named Ness is murdering poor animals._

_The boy named Ness is getting into a strange machine._

_The boy named Ness is getting into trouble at Giant Step._

_The boy named Ness is pushing away his friends._

_The boy named Ness…_

_The boy named Ness…_

_The boy named Ness…_

_The boy named…._

As the mailbox began to scream, Ness bolted, trying to find an exit once again. He could tell that he was almost there, but it was hard to get across due to multiple hallucinations jumping him at once. He was getting tired of fighting them, but what else was he supposed to do?

He was unable to understand his own thought process at this point, and he felt like he was going insane. He held to the brink of sanity as much as he could, at least until the effects of the mushroom wore off and he was able to get out of here.

And then he saw _him_.

He could have sworn he was looking in a mirror, but he knew he wasn’t. He had seen other versions of himself back in Magicant, but this time, it was different.

The other him walked up towards Ness, his hands interconnecting his. “Hey, me!!”

Ness held his bat at close proximity. He wondered if he should fight them, but he wanted to at least hear what they had to say before doing that.

The possible hallucination laughed, and it wasn’t a sound Ness would usually make. It was a vile sound, and Ness didn’t want to hear it any longer.

“If only you were able to fix Porky’s parents’ marriage!” He exclaimed. “Maybe then, you wouldn’t hafta clean up his mess. What kinda hero are you if you don’t save _everyone_?”

_No… no more…_

“Of course you would know the answer,” the hallucination continued. “After all, I _am_ you.”

Before the other version of him could speak any further, Ness fought them, as he feared that they would’ve suddenly made a move. He ran off, making his way to the top of the island, catching sight of a house comprised of a shell.

Another one of those Magypsies’ houses, Ness supposed. He staggered inside, the first thing he saw being a sailor. He ignored him as he sauntered towards a woman, now seeing three people as well as a dog with her. 

“Ness!” He heard one of them shout. “Where did you come from?” 

He wondered how they were able to know his name. But that didn’t matter, as he had to find a way to stop feeling the way he did.

Ness faltered towards them, and the woman clicked her tongue. “He must have eaten the mushrooms as well.” 

_Mushrooms? Wha…?_

With that, she took out a paper fan, giving Ness a simple _whack!_ on the head. Ness shook his head, finally returning to his senses. The woman turned into what a Magypsy normally looked like, as well as the man shifting into that of an octopus. 

Finally, Ness recognized Lucas and his friends. It was _weird_ , not being able to recognize them despite being in their presence for a few days. He was glad that the disorienting feeling he felt when under the influence of the mushrooms was gone, though, and that he was able to think clearly. After a while of not seeing Lucas and everyone else, he _missed_ them. Though they did react accordingly when he hugged them while on the brink of tears.

The Magypsy, known as Mixolydia, told them that Ocho, the octopus by the entrance, had all of their items for safe keeping. Once the group retrieved their items, they immediately head to the hot spring to rejuvenate before pulling the next Needle.

They were silent for a moment. They had a lot to think about, considering what they saw on the island when the effect of the mushrooms started to kick in. 

“So how did you become separated from us?” Duster had to ask. 

“I dunno,” Ness admitted, because he _didn’t_ know. “I started eating those mushrooms, and next thing I know, you guys were gone. I even tried lookin’ for you but I was stopped by those… hallucinations. I didn’t even know they were hallucinations at one point, and I forgot about eatin’ the mushrooms, too. I couldn’t even remember your names, it was so bad.” 

Duster pursed his lips upon hearing that.

“You saw ‘em too?” Kumatora asked.

Ness nodded, emitting a small “mhm.” “Yeah. I don’t wanna talk about it, though. It reminds me of things I’d much rather forget.” 

Lucas emitted a small “yeah” before staying completely silent. Ness had to wonder why. He wasn’t one to pry into one’s thoughts or personal information, but he couldn’t help but become concerned for Lucas.

“I…” Lucas muttered, then continued to face Ness. “I need to talk to you about something… important.”

The two of them simultaneously got out of the hot spring, drying themselves off and heading towards the cliff near Mixolydia’s house.

“What is it that you needed to tell me?” Ness asked curiously. 

Lucas stared towards the horizon for a few seconds before speaking. “I never told you about this. But uhh, then again, I never really told Duster and Kuma too much about it either.”

“About what?” 

Lucas sucked in a breath of air nervously. “About… why I’m here.”

Silence prevailed not long after.

Ness didn’t want to prompt him, but he had to do something if he continued with these periods of silence. “I’m listening.”

“Oh! Uhh, yeah, sorry about that.”

He continued, clearing his throat. “Three years ago… my, uhh… I uhh…” He looked at Ness, then back at the ground, trying to gather his thoughts.

“It’s okay,” Ness said, “Take your time.”

“Right.”

“Three years ago,” Lucas continued, “my mother died, and my brother disappeared. He could be dead for all I know, but my father still believes he’s out there.” 

Ness was at a loss for words. To think that Lucas had _that_ kind of information bottled up inside for years. “And after they were gone, everything I knew changed. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t even be here.”

_If it weren’t for_ **_Porky_** _, you wouldn’t be here._ Ness mentally corrected him. 

“Even after all this time, I…” Lucas said softly, hugging his sides, “I don’t want it like this… but I know it’s too late. And if it weren’t for all this, I would be that same coddled crybaby I was three years ago.” He laughed in a self-deprecating manner. “I still feel like I am, sometimes.”

“Not at all!” Ness replied a little louder than he hoped. “I’ve only known you for a few days, but you’ve _definitely_ matured. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but you’re a lot more mature than me.”

Lucas smiled warmly at his compliment. “Really? Thanks...”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you smile. Since I’ve known you, anyway.” Ness noted. 

“Wait, really?”

“Mhm.”

“Wow. I must have really made it known, huh?”

“Nah, you’re good. I would’ve never known until you told me.”

Lucas turned to the sky. “I just hope we can end this soon. I want things to go back to the way they were. Well, at least close to it, anyway.”

Ness nodded in agreement. He had to go back to Onett before any other physical repercussions manifested itself further.

“Hey!!” yelled a voice from not far away, scaring both Ness and Lucas out of their wits. They turned around to see Kumatora waving her hands wildly at them. “Quit stargazing and let’s go pull that Needle!”

_It’s not even nighttime, so how are we stargazing?_ With that thought, Ness could tell Lucas felt the same. 

“Uhm, coming!” Lucas shouted back. 

Kumatora still looked impatient, despite his reply.

Ness and Lucas looked at each other, then at Kumatora and Duster as they caught up with them, unlocking the door beside Mixolydia’s house in order to pull the next Needle.


End file.
